Brian Belichick will not be remaining with Patriots
Brian Belichick would likely have an open invitation to join his father staff at the University of North Carolina. Steve Belichick, who left New England last season to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington, already had accepted a job to reunite with his father.
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Brian Belichick's departure is the latest staffing development since the Patriots hired Vrabel.
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Last season's defensive coordinator
DeMarcus Covington
, defensive line coach
Jerry Montgomery
, inside linebackers coach
Dont'a Hightower
, and outside linebackers coach
Drew Wilkins
are also not expected to return.
Maye a Pro Bowl replacement
Rookie quarterback
Drake Maye
is headed to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Maye is the replacement for Baltimore's
Lamar Jackson
, who opted out. He will join Cincinnati's
Joe Burrow
and Pittsburgh's
Russell Wilson
(replacement for Buffalo's
Josh Allen
) as the AFC quarterbacks.
Special teamer
Brenden Schooler
was New England's lone other Pro Bowl selection, but he opted out because of offseason surgery.
The Pro Bowl festivities will be split over two days with an eight-event skills challenge taking place Thursday and a seven-on-seven flag football game on Sunday. The events include precision passing, relay race, dodgeball, and tug of war.
Scouting trip
Vrabel is in Mobile, Ala., this week for the Senior Bowl, along with executive vice president of player personnel
Eliot Wolf
, director of player personnel
Matt Groh
, and new hires
Ryan Cowden
and
John Streicher
. Offensive assistant
Omar Young
is also onsite to coach the running backs for the American team . . . Cornerback
Christian Gonzalez
is a finalist for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award. Gonzalez, who missed 13 games last season with a torn labrum, will be up against Burrow, Vikings quarterback
Sam Darnold
, Chargers running back
J.K. Dobbins
, and Bills safety
Damar Hamlin
. The winner will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 6 in New Orleans.
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